Canada 6th in military spending

Finally, years of liberal neglect are in the past for good! The military should always be near the top of the budget spending.

Correction. Trudeau and Mulroney neglected the military. Chretien was in no financial position to change anything and once we were he began the rebuilding. Martin certainly put in alot of money and Harper is continuing the trend.

Think the difference might be because we have a 15 billion surplus rather then a 25 billion deficit?

Think any of the conservative parties would have done anything different facing the financial burden we had back in '93?

If you say yes then you have just bankrupted our country which was being considerd an honourary third world country.

Tell me, what kind of military can a bankrupt country support?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad the military is getting its due but it is fundementally dishonest to blame the Liberals and only the Liberals while giving credit to the Conservatives and only the Conservatives.

The truth says otherwise.

Great post DerbyX, I agree 100% and its rather tiring and pathetic how most conservatives continue to tow the line of "liberal neglect".

So now denial and delusion are also "Canadian values"?

I agree. It was happening long before the 13 year reign of the liberals.

I think its great that we can now spend money on our armed forces. It isn't enough to have great soldiers, the troops need the right tools to do their job. Hopefully the last of their outdated equipment can get replaced in the near future

Not Canadian values but apparently yours.

Why don't you back your words up and explain just how financially generous Mulroney was compared to Martin?

Not Canadian values but apparently yours.

Why don't you back your words up and explain just how financially generous Mulroney was compared to Martin?

He won't back up anything, he'll just sit and snipe from the sidelines like usual. I think you expect far too much from a hack like RR.

Looks like things haven't changed much in the past year

Even with the budget cuts in the 90s, DND still received more funding than any other government department. The only thing that got more money than defence was debt payments.

Not Canadian values but apparently yours.

Why don't you back your words up and explain just how financially generous Mulroney was compared to Martin?

I made no claims that Mulroney was any better, and indeed, why can't they all be bad? I've dug up numerous news reports that show the oppinion of the matter at the time and you refute them and the writter. You even refute the service men and women who back these claims up.
To prove you're case, you show me the government white paper which has always been as large a work of fiction as the throne speach. Why don't you dig up the senators investigation on the military. Maybe you'd believe something from you're own.

Not Canadian values but apparently yours.

Why don't you back your words up and explain just how financially generous Mulroney was compared to Martin?

I made no claims that Mulroney was any better, and indeed, why can't they all be bad? I've dug up numerous news reports that show the oppinion of the matter at the time and you refute them and the writter. You even refute the service men and women who back these claims up.
To prove you're case, you show me the government white paper which has always been as large a work of fiction as the throne speach. Why don't you dig up the senators investigation on the military. Maybe you'd believe something from you're own.

No, you just keep blaiming the Libs. I never here you bitching that Mulroney killed the military or blame him for the debt. You certainly never mention him balking at promsed military purchases, the largest tax increase ever, and sending our forces to gulf 1 woefully under equipped.

Sure servicemen bitch about budget cuts but guess what? So do all the other departments who got it just as bad. I understand you were cheering for Canada to be bankrupted under the conservative tax and spend mantra but we Libs had other ideas.

I understand that you think the Libs should have magically cut taxes, increased spending and still eliminate the debt but in the real world we live be certain realities. The fact is Chretien did the best with what he had and did a far better job then anybody you would have voted for.

The paper I cited got it bang on. Chretien wasn't asking the military to do more with less but less with less because that was the reality of the times. He had no choice because Canada had no choice or are you truly so blind you didn't see the dire straights we were in financially?

As soon as the budget was cleared up the money started pouring back into the military or are you ignorant of all the purchases he & MArtin made?

Along comes bushs war and it was the military themselves demanding to be deployed as Streaker posted. I don't believe for a second you guys or any military member would have accepted him saying "we can't go because we are still rebuilding". Hell, he took it in the ass for not going to Iraq and you say he deliberately sent troops into harms way under-equiped.

You are a dishonest partisan hack and you know it.

Thats why you haven't said word 1 about Tom's admission nor have you bothered addressing the fact that Harper tossed a respected MP out for votong riding instead of party an act you have previously posted should be the focus of all federal MPs and complained bitterly that teh Liberals always force their MPs to tow the line.

Get over it. Chretien saved us from bankruptcy. You are welcome. The military has had funding increases of substantial proportion ever since we eliminated the deficit. get over it.

The Liberals could have easily used the surplus to "buy" a load of votes (like Harper did in QC).

They choose the wise and financially responsible position of addressing a rather large debt thereby making our recovery all the quicker and thereby freeing up loads more to spend on the military.

You are welcome.

No Chretien WAS asking the military to do more with less (do you know anyone who served during the 90's? I do), throughout the last decade he deployed the military on countless feel good UN missions while at the same time cutting the budget back and back and back. The CF was stretched to the breaking point.

Maybe the cuts could have been acceptable had they reduced the operational tempo, but they didn't.

As for the Liberals not deserving all of the blame, I say while both Conservative and Liberal governments oversaw the decline (and thereby both partly responsible), which PM started us on the path of massive defecit spending?

I'll give you a hint, he wasn't a Conservative.

Lol. Derby. How do you expect to get any traction when you're entire thread tells me what I think then derails itself to you're current favorite topic of the day? You're struggling to paint me as you'd like others to see me, and it's obvious.
Tell me again who is the dishonest partisan hack?

Chretien and martin reduced funding but didn't reduce the tempo, so troops had to do the same or more with less. That is a fact.